The Illinois Fighting Illini men’s hoop squad just completed a 24-7 regular season. They finished fourth in a top-heavy Big Ten and earned a triple bye in the first 18-team Big Ten Tournament.
The season featured all-world performances by true freshman Keaton Wagler, who etched his name in Illini lore. He became one of the primary engines of Illini success.
Advertisement
He is also the definition of the current Illini path.
Neel Ganta and the Illini “front office” have collaborated with the Illinois coaching staff to construct a roster capable of outstripping last year’s squad.
This Illinois roster is literally built for this postseason run. Whether or not the strategy works is yet to be determined, but for now, let’s take a look at how we got here and where we’re going.
Last year’s Illini underachieved.
Before the 2024-25 season, enthusiasm surrounding Illinois basketball ran high. The Illini looked primed for a superstar turn on the national stage. The roster was built to both excel and retain. It was described as a two-year rebuild.
Advertisement
Illinois under Brad Underwood has endured massive roster turnover on an annual basis. Between recruiting mercenary players and losing poor culture fits, the Illini have had junior college levels of upheaval.
How did this roster happen?
Ahead of 2024, it was obvious that a new era in roster construction was on the horizon.
Let’s examine the timeline. This is not an exhaustive timeline of every single personnel decision. But it is a recap of how Illinois’ roster construction philosophy evolved.
April 15, 2024 – Sencire Harris enters the Transfer Portal after voluntarily taking a redshirt year. That sounds like a small issue: an undersized reserve guard entered the portal. Harris represented the old school Illini mentality: a defense-first guard who has that “dawg” in him. Harris was not a shooter at all, but he was a tough defender with relentless energy. So what would make someone who as an ingrained, earnest representative of Illini aesthetics leave the program?
Advertisement
April 16, 2024 – Chester Frazier departs Illinois. This matters because he took his mentality, philosophy, and recruiting ties with him. -He accepted an AHC role at West Virginia. This explains both the previous entry and the next one. The Illinois alumnus was known more for toughness than skill (though let’s not sleep on the evolving skill set he cultivated as a college player). His mentality was pervasive and influential, and his absence was definitive.
April 21, 2024 – Amani Hansberry enters the Transfer Portal. This was a major departure. He represented a versatile, rugged, tough four-man with expanding floor game and excellent rebounding. He was a Chester Frazier “guy,” and had Chester’s approach to basketball. Put a pin in that basketball archetype and style of power forward for later.
April 21, 2024 – Orlando Antigua returns to Illinois. Coach O’s return was a significant step in the process. Antigua’s prior tenure in Champaign resulted in improved relationships for Illini basketball in regions like the tri-state area and the Caribbean. His ability as a big man coach helped make Kofi Cockburn into an All-American. His rolodex is as legendary as his track record for sending centers to the lottery. His return marked another shift in recruiting direction for the Illini: an increased emphasis on international talent scouting.
Advertisement
May 6, 2024 – Tomislav Ivisic commits to Illinois. This is the new prototype Illinois big man: skilled, sharpshooting, smart. He is a playmaker who can function out of the low post, the corner, or the top of the key. He was the first Balkan domino to fall in Illinois’ multi-year rebuild.
May 28, 2024 – Kasparas Jakucionis commits to Illinois. This seemed like a pivot at the time. Illinois reportedly coveted lankier playmaker Egor Demin. But the price tag on Demin got so high that only BYU could afford him. So Illinois moved to Jakucionis, who set the Illinois record for points by a freshman. He was a swashbuckling risk-taker with playmaking instincts and shot creating prowess. He simultaneously amazed and confounded. In no time, he was a perceived lottery pick.
June 23, 2024 – Will Riley commits to Illinois. Orlando Antigua used an established relationship to help Illinois land a five-star wing. Riley brought significant promise and legitimate NBA potential to Champaign. He overcame shooting slumps to wind up in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Riley’s commitment demonstrated Illinois’ ability to shop at the top of the prep ranks just as Jakucionis’ commitment showed Illinois’ skill in landing top European prospects. All of a sudden, Illinois’ talent acquisition machine was humming.
September 20, 2024 – Tim Anderson takes an administrative leave from the University of Illinois. Tim Anderson came to Illinois with Chester Frazier in the wake of the program departures of Orlando Antigua and Ronald “Chin” Coleman. Anderson’s reputation as a teacher and trainer are impeccable. He has close ties to Chicago basketball, including the Meanstreets AAU program. His connections helped Illinois land Terrence Shannon Jr., Morez Johnson Jr., and Ty Rodgers. His departure made Illinois less local and more global.
Illinois v Connecticut
November 4, 2024 – Ty Rodgers announces he is redshirting the 2024-2025 season. Yes, Ty came back for the 2025-26 season. But his redshirt symbolized a definitive shift in Illinois’ on-court mentality. They did not want to have multiple non-shooters on the court at any time. Rodgers journey from starting nominal point guard to redshirt was startling. The announcement game mere hours before the opening game of the season, which made the move even more impactful. Rodgers finished his high school basketball career at Thornton Township High School in South Holland, Illinois. He played for fellow Thornton alum Tai Streets’ AAU team, and was mentored and recruited to Illinois by the aforementioned Tim Anderson.
Illinois v Maryland
March 28, 2025 – Morez Johnson Jr. enters the Transfer Portal. Besides enraging Illini fans and bolstering Michigan’s title hopes, this was a significant move in defining Illinois..
Advertisement
-
Illinois had prioritized Ben Humrichous throughout much of Johnson’s only season in Champaign. While Morez was foul prone, Humrichous was not a consistent shooter.
-
Tim Anderson, Johnson’s mentor, left just before the season started.
-
Illinois prioritized the skill sets of stretch bigs.
-
Morez didn’t see an internal belief that his game could grow beyond run fast, jump high, rebound often.
-
Johnson’s best NBA bet would be as a big wing, not a small post. Illinois has an elite post/big man coach on staff, and that plus significant money was not enough to keep Johnson in Champaign.
-
So he transferred to the alma mater of his AAU sponsor Tai Streets.
The departures of Johnson, Hansberry, and Harris as well as the deprioritizing of Rodgers ushered in and then cemented the direction of this program. Illinois went away from the physical, intense, aggressive direction of previous years and went to a finesse brand.
The return of Antigua and the evolution of Tyler Underwood changed the philosophical DNA of this roster. It built the bridge between Terrence Shannon Jr. and Keaton Wagler.
Now, Illinois seeks to outscore you more than outwork you. And to be clear, this is not an accusation that the players on the current roster don’t play hard, work their asses off, and give everything they have to win every game. But they do so in a less old-school way than previous iterations.
So now that we’ve digested the how, let’s be candid about the now.
Advertisement
The Illini roster is built specifically for this moment.
This Illinois roster just wrapped a 24-win regular season. The analytics tell us this Illinois roster has flirted with the most efficient offense in the history of KenPom.
This Illinois roster also got pushed around by a less talented Michigan State team.
This Illinois roster got punked at home by a less talented Wisconsin team.
This Illinois roster gagged away a massive lead at Pauley Pavillion against a less talented UCLA team.
For better or worse, this skilled, sharpshooting (occasionally) Illinois roster was built to win shootouts. They weren’t designed for dogfights.
Advertisement
It’s March, so far stranger things have happened than a beleaguered Illinois squad marshaling its strength for a deep tournament run. But it’s a makes and misses game, and when this Illinois roster goes cold, they are vulnerable against any opponent.
The true road starts in Chicago. The ceiling is a trip to Indianapolis in April. The floor is a quick trip back to Champaign in March.
So what do you think? Is this deliberate direction of the Illinois coaching staff too risky? Are they well-positioned for a March run from a personnel standpoint?
